Lin Yu bought the sesame oil first, then took Tuan-ger to play on the street. Tuan-ger was delighted. Lin Yu bought him candied hawthorn on a stick and a clay whistle.

After strolling the entire length of the street, they finally encountered the patrol guards. Lin Yu scanned the line of men. Wei Qingshan had described Cui Xian as having a distinguished appearance, and Lin Yu immediately recognized the patrol guard walking beside them—he must be Cui Xian.

Tall and straight-backed, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, he was quite handsome. He carried none of the dissolute air of a spoiled young master, which surprised Lin Yu. He had met Cui’s nephew, Jia Feng, before—a slouch who sat and stood without grace, his eyes darting about restlessly.

As Cui Xian approached, he spotted Zhao Yueniang and Lin Yu. He had seen Lin Yu before—at the full-month banquet when he’d brought gifts. Lin Yu had been surrounded by guests admiring the baby, and he doubted Lin Yu had noticed him then. How had he run into Yueniang’s brother today?

Cui Xian’s heart raced, but he forced himself to walk over calmly. Zhao Yueniang clutched her handkerchief, head bowed, trailing beside Lin Yu. Lin Yu, however, scrutinized Cui Xian openly. He had come specifically to observe Cui Xian today; if he didn’t approve, he would certainly refuse.

He’d heard about the Cui family’s situation from Wei Qingshan. Master Cui had only one wife, Madam Cui, and no messy affairs with concubines. Cui Xian’s quarters were tidy, the household relatively orderly—even that Jia Feng had been driven out by the Cui family.

Lin Yu felt about seventy to eighty percent satisfied. He took Tuan-ger by the hand. “Tuan-ger, want some sweet pea paste? Daddy will buy you some.”

“Yes!”

Lin Yu took Tuan-ger to buy the sweet bean paste dessert, then hurried back home. Of the two little ones at home, Lin Chao was well-behaved, but Wei Yang was another story. He’d been out so long—who knew if the child was crying at home?

Cui Xian breathed a sigh of relief after parting ways with Lin Yu and his group. His palms were sweaty with nervousness, afraid Lin Yu wouldn’t approve of him.

The fact he’d come to see him meant there was still hope. Just yesterday, he’d asked his sister to deliver the jade pendant, and today he’d run into Lin Yu and Zhao Yueniang—whether coincidence or something more, he couldn’t tell.

Before Lin Yu even entered the house, he heard Wei Yang’s cries. This time, the boy was truly wailing—his voice unusually loud compared to Lin Chao’s mere whimpers.

Lin Yu hurried inside. In the courtyard, Aunt Wang and Aunt Liu were walking back and forth, each holding a little one. As he approached, he realized even Lin Chao had started crying.

Lin Yu quickly took Wei Yang and soothed him, “There, there. Stop crying. Daddy’s back.”

Lin Yu had been gone a bit longer this time, which was why Wei Yang had started crying. Aunt Wang explained, “The second young master was crying so hard we couldn’t calm him down. Once he started, even the third young master began crying too.”

Lin Yu rocked Wei Yang a few times, and the little one stopped crying. He pouted, his eyes still brimming with tears. After calming him, Lin Yu handed him back to Auntie Wang and picked up Lin Chao to comfort him.

The little one looked even more pitiful, whimpering like a kitten, his face flushed from crying. “Little Daddy will feed you some goat’s milk, okay?”

Aunt Liu hurried off to milk the goat. Lin Yu fed Lin Chao some milk with a spoon and finally calmed him down. But then Wei Yang started whimpering again, so Lin Yu took him back and fed him some too.

Though Wei Yang often cried, it was mostly fake tears. This time, however, he was genuinely upset. Lin Chao started crying too. By the time Lin Yu had calmed both of them down, he was drenched in sweat. He couldn’t stay out this long again—dealing with two crying babies at once was exhausting.

“Put them on my bed. I’ll rock them to sleep.”

Aunt Wang and the other woman carried them over and placed them on Lin Yu’s bed. Lin Yu unwrapped the swaddling cloths, laid the two little ones beside him, tucked them under the covers, and finally, they settled down.

He had no idea how He Dongdong had managed to get over here. Calming both of them at once was truly a headache.

Lin Yu patted the two little ones. “Go to sleep now.”

Lin Chao drifted off quickly, but Wei Yang still looked upset, pouting at Lin Yu. Lin Yu patted him gently. “Sleep, sleep. Daddy’s here. Look, your little brother’s already asleep.”

Tuan-ger came running over. “Daddy, I want to sleep with you too.”

“Come on over. Tuan-ger, lie down next to Daddy.”

Tuan-ger slipped off his shoes and lay down beside Lin Yu. Tired from his outing, he soon drifted off against Lin Yu’s side. Now sandwiched between three little ones, Lin Yu—who hadn’t felt sleepy at all—found himself unable to move. Unconsciously, he too fell asleep.

Lunch was served later than usual today. Both Lin Yu and Tuan-ger had fallen asleep. Only after Lin Yu woke up did Xu Nainai bring out the meal. Lin Yu rubbed his throbbing head. “Don’t wait for me next time. Eat when you’re hungry.”

In the afternoon, Lin Yu summoned Zhao Yueniang and asked her opinion of Cui Xian. Zhao Yueniang neither nodded nor shook her head, instead staring down at the handkerchief she was twisting.

Lin Yu understood perfectly well what this meant.

“I’ve asked your brother to speak with the Cui family. I’ve had people look into them—though they’re wealthy, there are no unsavory elements in their household. Otherwise, I’d never let you marry into them. Our family would rather find you a simple, ordinary family where you’d have no worries and a harmonious marriage.”

Zhao Yueniang nodded and called out, “Brother.” Lin Yu patted her hand. “Why are you crying? This is a joyous occasion. Though I’ll miss you dearly, I can’t keep you here forever.”

Lin Yu relayed this to Wei Qingshan, who then asked Zhou Bao to discreetly inform the Cui family. The Cui family immediately came over, overjoyed, to formally propose the marriage.

The Cui family presented their betrothal proposal and set the wedding date for the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month. It was already summer now, meaning the wedding was still half a year away. Master Cui beamed with satisfaction—his son would finally be married.

Zhao Yueniang settled in at home, embroidering her wedding gown. Lin Yu also found time to prepare her dowry early. He wasn’t quite sure what a wealthy county family expected for a dowry, but luckily, Xu Nainai had once worked for a wealthy household. He entrusted her to oversee the preparations.

Weddings in wealthy households differed greatly from those in the countryside, with many more rules and customs. Lin Yu had to entertain three young children daily while also checking the list to see what items needed purchasing. He was busy nonstop.

Seeing this, Zhao Yueniang didn’t want Lin Yu to be so overwhelmed. He asked Cui Jin to relay a message to her brother.

Her family came from the countryside, and her brother knew little about such matters. Zhao Yueniang suggested keeping everything simple to spare him the hassle and expense. If the Cui family thought her family was too frugal, she’d rather not marry them. If they looked down on her family before the wedding, their married life would surely be troubled.

Upon receiving the message, Cui Xian naturally agreed. He immediately informed his parents that the wedding should be kept simple, and that they must not nitpick any perceived shortcomings in the Wei family’s etiquette.

Master Cui readily agreed, “No problem, no problem. Father will take the gifts over tomorrow to discuss it.”

Master Cui knew the Wei family’s background well. To rise from the countryside to their current standing, both Wei Qingshan and Lin Yu were capable individuals. He respected such families. What did etiquette matter? They were merchants themselves—who could they look down upon?

The next day, Master Cui visited and discussed the wedding arrangements with Lin Yu, urging both sides to keep things simple and skip the minor details.

After seeing Master Cui off, Lin Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. In their rural customs, a marriage was settled once the betrothal was made and the date set. The bride’s family would provide furniture and quilts as dowry, and those with more means might add a few taels of silver. These were manageable preparations, unlike the complicated formalities in the county seat, where Lin Yu feared he might fail in etiquette.

After the Cui family made their proposal, Lin Yu was less busy, but the necessary preparations still had to be made.

The Cui family now maintained close ties with Lin Yu’s household. Their orders for soup dumplings came exclusively from Lin Yu’s First Pavilion restaurant—seventy to eighty steamer baskets daily, sometimes exceeding a hundred.

Though Master Cui hadn’t acquired Lin Yu’s recipe, this steady business boosted Drunken Pavilion’s fortunes. Wealthier patrons often included several baskets of these dumplings in their orders.

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye. After the first snowfall, the cold grew more intense. The two little ones could now crawl. Placed in their cradle, they cooed and babbled while playing with their cloth tigers.

Tuan-ger, wrapped in his cloak, had gone outside to play in the snow. Lin Yu called out to him twice, but he didn’t return, so she let him be.

Inside, the two little ones played until they started grabbing each other’s toys. When Wei Yang’s cloth tiger fell, he reached for Lin Chao’s.

Both yawned and tugged, refusing to let go. Lin Yu picked up Wei Yang’s and handed it to him, “Why take your brother’s? Isn’t this yours?”

Wei Yang stubbornly insisted on taking Lin Chao’s. Though not as lively as Wei Yang, Lin Chao immediately snapped at his hand. His teeth weren’t even in yet, leaving Wei Yang’s hand covered in drool.

Lin Yu chuckled as he separated the two. “Enough! Stop crowding together and fighting all the time.”

Zhao Yueniang sat embroidering beside the charcoal brazier. Watching the two children playfully fight, she too smiled. As the wedding date drew nearer, Zhao Yueniang grew increasingly nervous.

Several more snowfalls fell, and the household bustled with activity—preparing banquets for guests, arranging the wedding procession. On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, they joyously sent Zhao Yueniang off to her new home.

Lin Yu watched the departing palanquin and wiped away tears. Time hadn’t seemed to pass so quickly before—how had her wedding day arrived so suddenly?

Wei Qingshan wrapped his arm around his young husband’s shoulder, comforting him, “Everyone’s at the county seat. If you miss them, you can visit anytime.”

“I just can’t bear to see Yueniang leave. Raising her was no different from raising my own child.”

Tuan-ger tugged at his little father’s hand. “Little Father, don’t cry. Tuan-ger wants to cry too.”

“Alright, alright. Little Father won’t cry anymore.” Fearing he might make Tuan-ger cry too, Lin Yu quickly picked him up. “Let’s go inside. Your auntie will be back in a couple of days.”

On their wedding night, Zhao Yueniang solemnly told Cui Xian about her family background. He treated her brother like both a father and an older brother. Without him, she would have been sold as a concubine long ago. If Cui Xian ever showed disrespect to Lin Yu, even after marriage, she would dare to seek a divorce.

Cui Xian repeatedly promised to treat Lin Yu and Wei Qingshan with utmost respect. Their days passed harmoniously, and Zhao Yueniang gradually began managing the family business. She had picked up some skills while living with her brother. Though not as clever as Shi Xiaoliu, with time she was learning the ropes.